EEE victim from Westboro was retired scientist

The victim of the second human case of Eastern equine encephalitis in the state has been confirmed as Benjamin R. Duce, 79, of 16 Belknap St. He died last month from the mosquito-borne infection.

His wife, Diane S. Duce, said this morning Mr. Duce, a retired research scientist at Astra Pharmaceutical, became ill in early August with a fever, chills, and body shakes. He was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center - Memorial Campus, Worcester, where he died a few days later, on Aug. 14.

It took three weeks for autopsy testing to confirm the results.

Mrs. Duce said her husband, a gardening enthusiast, could have been bitten by an EEE virus carrying mosquito at their house, which borders a wooded area.

“He was always out on the deck, and feeding the birds,” she said.

Mr. Duce died from the second confirmed human case of the disease this year.

The first case, also a Metrowest-area resident who is recovering, health officials said, is believed to have contracted the disease out of state.

Exposure to the mosquito-borne disease is believed to have taken place during the first week of August, but investigators are still trying to determine where exactly the man was when he became infected.

The diagnosis was not confirmed until an autopsy was recently completed, officials said. “It took time for the tests,” Mr. McNulty said.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to this individual's family and friends,” John Auerbach, the state's commissioner of public health, said in a statement. “His illness and death underscore the extremely serious nature of EEE and the need for continued vigilance and preventive measures against mosquito-borne diseases.”

There has been one other confirmed human case of EEE in Massachusetts this year: a Metrowest-area resident is believed to have contracted the virus outside of the state, health officials reported last month. At the time, the person was recovering from the disease, officials said.

There were two cases of EEE in 2011, including a fatal case of a Bristol County man.

Public health officials last month raised the EEE threat level to high in Westboro and New Bedford after the detection of mammal-biting mosquitoes infected with EEE in the two communities.

In recent weeks, Westboro has ordered that school fields, athletic fields and town parks close at sunset, a peak time for mosquito activity, Mr. McNulty said.

He said residents should take common-sense precautions and wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants, use insect repellent and drain or discard items that might hold water.

Mr. McNulty said this is the worst year for mosquitoes in his 32-year tenure in Westboro.

He said no one knows for sure why so many mosquitoes are present, but said the lack of a hard freeze last winter might have something to do with it.

“Mosquitoes remain present in our environment until the first hard frost, so people need to continue to take precautions to avoid getting bitten,” Dr. Al DeMaria, state epidemiologist, said in a statement.

Officials also confirmed the second case of EEE in a horse this year. The animal was stabled in Belchertown. Based on that finding, the EEE threat level has been raised to critical in Belchertown and high in Amherst, Palmer, Pelham, New Salem, and Ware, according to the DPH.

The DPH said communities designated as critical are urged to cancel outdoor evening events for the remainder of the summer.